Creative Reset Day Seventeen: Clean that Space, Girl!

Er....

I'd like to excuse myself from the state of the clutter by saying that um silversmithing is a dirty cluttered vocation???

Hm.

Naaaooope.

I know smiths with pristine benches,

so just as with everything else, it takes all kinds to make a world.

This is my trajectory:

Deep cleaning

gradual decay into what you see above

rinse and repeat.

It's time for a deep clean.

Since Orion was born I've noticed that every other space in the house

HAS to be clean or I begin to lose my mind

but the studio gets the butt end of the deal.

I keep it respectable, but not shining.

It's time for it to shine. 

Today I know that there are these magnificent pearls of design ideas just behind my eyes -

what do you want to bet that they come tumbling to my hands once this space sparkles?

I'll wager a pretty high amount in favor of blissful tumblage.

I forsee the same kind of pixie dust for you too, gentle reader.

Let's tidy up together.

Today's Journal Entry:

 Clean your space

.

write about the experience while sipping something warm.

xoxo,

S

Creative Reset Day Sixteen: Give it!

Something that few people will tell you is that in life if you want something, you have to give it to get it.

Do you want love? Be love

.

Want abundance? Be abundant!

That sounds counter-intuitive, especially on the abundance issue: what if you're hella poor and cannot even imagine how you're going to get through next month financially let alone help someone else be abundant?

The bedrock of this kind of approach to life is faith, and not just empty temporary faith

where you are itching to see results and if they don't come at the right time you begin to spiral downward.

Yeesh - I spent so much of my days like that in my twenties - expecting life to hand me what I wanted without putting in the work to get it.

I would call it a waste, but I did a lot of learning through resistance.

It doesn't have to be grandiose:

a dollar left in a planter outside a mini-mart, imagining the surprise on the face of the man woman or child who finds it...

buying the next customer's _______ at a drive-through...

offering your time or advice or a small token of love to someone who needs it most.

I dare you to not feel your heart swell to bursting: it's addictive.

I love gifting people, and I really like giving love.

I can do that all I want and as secretly as a ninja. A LOVE ninja...

I might just be loving you right now, honey!

I like doing things without the expectation that they'll even come back to me

but they DO.

You'll see!

On the flip side, if you act in an altruistic manner simply to receive the end result of your own gifts and love, that energy goes out into the world, too and shuts everything down.

The place where God gets in becomes so narrow

and yet then the tendency is to fear more, tighten more.... do you see where that leads?

to a constricted creative well

to a small and fearful heart.

As with everything in this reset the basis is the breath.

Breathe through the constriction and fear and limited thoughts.

See them as the surface of the water and know that you are the ocean, Miss.

The OCEAN.

Do you want forgiveness?

Forgive. Start with yourself.

Do you want a mentor? 

Become a big sis.

Do you want to be appreciated?

Leave a note for your love telling them how much they mean to you, how much you value them.

Do you want people to support your independent art?

Support the work of others!

Do you want to be lifted up?

Lift yourself with care and companionship and a nice warm bath.

Make yourself tea.

Take yourself on a nature hike.

Lift up a friend.

Be of service.

Make a difference.

.

GIVE it!!!

Journal Entry: Give the equivalent of something you want very badly.

Write about the dove flying out of your chest once it's done.

xoxox,

A

Preview of Shop Update for Tomorrow!

A bevy of really beautiful pieces are on their way into the

Metal Shop 

tomorrow!

MARIGOLD RESERVED

Magic Mushroom Cap earrings in glorious shades of gnome red, marigold and eggplant

Hammer formed copper under the rich enamel

Arizona and Nevada turquoise stones anchoring the magic to your beautiful ears

and the back imprinted with fir branches, which mostly just gave texture because of the thickness: I wanted you to have some forest whispers, too.

JACARANDA EARRINGS RESERVED
SMALL ROYSTON RESERVED

A really long Kingman turquoise necklace with jacaranda bail,

one very simple and delicate pair of jacaranda cluster earrings

two completely custom constellation necklaces (obviously this Orion one is mine all mine!)

and a delicate and sweet little Royston turquoise necklace.

The jacaranda leaves are from my neighborhood here in San Jose: a magical tree that blooms purple Dr. Seuss flowers in May, bringing a smile to my face and an extra oomph to my step.

This is the work of my heart.

I am so excited to have a small body of it to release into the wilds of the interwebs!!

Taking reserves today:

I will be checking email infrequently, but requests for reserves will be honored on a first-write first-get basis - I will be in touch before nightfall!

xoxo,

Sunny 

Creative Reset Day Fifteen: One Drawer

One drawer: 

that's it for today

but

if you're anything like me, one drawer becomes a whole room

of clean and organized things.

THIS

book is what inspired my mini-chunk approach to organization and it has stuck like glue. It came in handy especially when I was nesting and couldn't do all that much at one time for the fatigue.

THIS

is also a good book to read this week.

Your task for today: Clean out a single drawer in your house

and continue to tackle one very small area each subsequent day - once you take care of that single drawer I honestly believe you won't be able to stop there!

Write in your journal about the space that freed up inside after you finished

or the interesting/poignant thing you found.

The Terrifying Cow

You wouldn't think a tiny adorable stuffed cow-let would be something a baby would loathe, but from the moment Orion heard this little calf's admittedly grating 'mrrrrrrrrrrr'

it was a bad bad thing.

It's a motion activated sound, and the tiny beast seems to be a bit hyper-sensitive to any kind of movement right down to cellular.

He would see the cow from across the room and cry out with a furrowed brow and point at it like, "No!!! He's looking at meeeee!!"

So today I decided to intervene and have the cow give him kisses and say sweet things while mrrring:

it whispered in my ear how much it loved Orion

and I think the message was received by the babe...

And in one beautiful moment

There was peace in the valley.

xoxo,

S

Creative Reset Day Fourteen: Tie Up Loose Ends

This week we get physical like Olivia Newton John!

First step?

Tying up loose ends - you know the ones:

the necklace that just needs a clasp

the half-formed design you knew would be well-received

the packaging revamp

that awesome story that lost its appeal after another idea appeared

that test recipe that needs two more versions before it is perfect

I spent a lot of time yesterday going through all the pieces I have and seeing what needed to become scrap and what needed to be finished.

It made me realize how far I've come in the last few years of design.

Sometimes tying up loose ends means that you DO scrap that piece

but if you just have tons of half-finished things it's the mental equivalent of a really messy inbox

that needs a good going-over.

Just as skipping over certain correspondence means missing out on opportunities,

so does having a head full of 'halves'.

 A clean slate means the potential for more cohesive ideas and more time in which to get them done.

Today's Project: Finish a half-done piece

or task.

Once it's done, take a few minutes to do mental inventory:

do you feel more peaceful?

Focused?

Write about your results in your journal!

xoxo,

S

Last Chance Sale

At 6 P.m. my time (Pacific) tonight the last four items that are currently in the Metal Shop will

be cleared out to make room for new work coming Monday.

All four are currently 30% off using coupon code LASTCHANCE13 at checkout

.

Click 

HERE

to

shop

.

xoxo,

Sunny

Creative Reset Day Twelve: Grace.

As I practically placed my baby on the counter at the post office this morning

the clerk who knows me asked, "Hands full, huh?"

and I muttered something about forgetting Orion's carrier,

which I had.

It was raining and we were damp, I could barely see straight through the fog of fatigue from last night's sleeplessness: three new teeth in one week.

I found myself at a point of 'done'ness this morning that I am not sure I've ever arrived at before,

past the possible deliciousness of emotional drama where we rise and fall and chuckle over the tears with a good friend who assures us we're sane and in good company.

Just tired to to bone

and miles to go before I sleep.

I thought of the friend I visited the day before at her gorgeous home in San Mateo, nestled high in the wild hills.

On the surface two beautiful children and an idyllic setting: in her heart a deep loneliness and stoic set of a woman who knows she's in for spirit's turn through winter.

I think of people with real plights

in danger

lives at stake

turmoil so physical it cuts

and feel guilty for needing grace in my place of privilege:

an exhausted mama running a business and a home.

RESERVED

**Magic Mushroom Earrings in Marigold 

I believe that we all deserve grace,

that at our low points there is a benevolent force that liberates our peace and

hands it back to us gently in a big warm palm that smells like sandalwood and pine.

For me that moment came this evening when I came out of the studio to send our babysitter home

and Orion looked at me and said "Iiiiii!!!", which is his new version of 'hi'.

His smile was so joyous and his pleasure at seeing me so great

that my heart felt born again,

at least to this lost day.

RESERVED

**Magic Mushroom Earrings in Gnome Red 

As much as we receive grace I think it is of the utmost importance that we give it as well.

Everyone is struggling with something:

set aside your wronged pride and find tenderness

tucked somewhere safe from the ego's prying eyes

and hand it to another.

Only good can come of your generous heart.

Remember: there is enough ___________ for all of us.

Fill-in-the-blank.

Your daily mission:

give grace.

Reach out to someone who didn't deserve to be touched yesterday. Find them worthy today.

Write about how it feels to let go of your righteous indignation.

xoxoxo,

Sunny

** to reserve either pair of mushroom earrings write to me 

HERE

Creative Reset Day Eleven: Show Up

Just show up.

After a long night, after a good day

regardless of the wind or weather

just

show 

up

to

your

life

.

If there was a journal entry for the day I would not even have the wits to complete it.

If you're following along, today is a free day.

xo,

S

Creative Reset Day Ten: Serving Daily

This week is about moving from the mind to to the body slowly and gently

as a mindful asana practice would flow.

This second week is also about calling the divine, appreciating the holy in things.

Holiness in the woods and fields, holiness in the grey and crowd of cities

with pops of color in flowers and hats.

Divinity in the resistance

and in the used coffee grounds

lapidary wheels

and dirty bibs

.

Today calls for a walking meditation to be done anytime the well feels plugged and you're not feeling like your breath is quite right. I often feel as though my breath needs a therapy all its own: it can get pretty jagged without the proper amount of care and attention.

When the muscles required to move and release seem to have developed a limited mobility I stop everything I can stop and breathe mindfully, beginning my activities again with a greater sense of ease.

The assignment for today is also a really good kick-through for resistance. It brings it up, makes you aware. 

When things have felt tight I've moved into giving my attention to every movement for Orion, for Anthony, for my family.  Suddenly doing the dishes opens your heart like a temple door. The mundane becomes holy.

If you're rolling your eyes at this you may need it most!

Today's assignment is this:

Everything you do, please do it as though you were doing it for someone you loved more than anyone else on earth. 

Perhaps they've gone before you into The Mystery or they've not yet been born: this will work, too. The greatest love your heart can conceive is what you need to use.

As you boil your tea water, every movement of your fingers is to serve this being.

As you make your breakfast, drive to your job, etc, every turn signal is for them, every

breath and word. Be mindful of your thoughts. Be loving with your actions.

Write about your experience of this mindfulness.

.

Does this seem exhausting? It's amazing how much it can feel like work to give attention to the daily tasks, even if in doing so we are setting ourselves free from some heavy chains.

Let yourself feel exhausted. If you are resisting, do so for your beloved. You'll find it melts like milk chocolate.

Ideally your art is serving someone:

practice

.

xoxo,

Sunny

Creative Reset, Day Nine: Miracle

This post may seem Pollyanna to some and downright wrong to others, but I'll shout it out loud for anyone to know right now, impractical as it may be:

I believe in miracles.

I believe in them so much that it's safe to say they're a part of my religion.

Yes, I know everyone goes in and out at their proper time and that 

in between birth and death a lot of stuff goes wrong.

My miracles have nothing to do with saving anyone from their demise: that's between a soul and God.

My miracles don't even have that much to do with making the wrong things go right.

My miracles are...well... every single damn breath we take, really.

Breathing through joy, breathing through pain.

If you take a moment to really attempt to fathom the odds for a life to be created

for a planet to foster such lives

for the elements to be lined up in such a way that these sentients would have dreams

and loves

and dance

and stories

and beauty

and tragedy

and all that life entails...

Wow.

With the miraculous comes the gratitude for it all.

The breath for it all.

Breathe.

Conceive.

Today's journal entry:

Write out one hundred things you are grateful for.

When you go out into the world today, take a moment and look at an everyday object, like a car.

Take a few minutes to really fathom what it took historically, intellectually and physically for this car to have been conceived in the mind and made.

The centuries of innovation

starting with the wheel...

no, starting with the elements being created -

it's enough to make everything

a

miracle.

xoxo,

Sunny

Creative Reset, Day Eight: Magic Everywhere

Enamel on Copper, raw quartz crystal

It is everywhere -

beneath your feet

skyward

under that rock

toward the horizon in all directions-

the magic of nature, the wonder-full Source of All Things.

Call it God, call it The Universe, call it anything you like,

just call it.

On days when you're feeling parched, seek it out.

Take a walk.

Take a drive away from the city lights

and observe the majesty of a sunset in solitude

or with a soul who understands your aim.

Ditch your smart phone or your Facebook feed

and wander.

.

This week in my Reset I am moving from the brain to the feet and hands.

Exploring a few more concepts along the way, I am mainly reveling in to this beautiful

soil last week's digging unearthed.

A few key phrases and shames reared up through the writing and showed me the places I am most hurt, giving me room and grace to heal them. 

Today's Journal Assignment:

Take a walk

look high and look low for the unexpected treasures of your neighborhood

or the woods

or the countryside

and when you find them, do a little sketching

with words or shapes or songs,

offering proof of what touched you

and wonder at what filled your spirit.

May it be a magical day,

Sunny

P.S. - comments are open - if you've been resetting along with me, tell me how it's going!

xo

Rest

Initially I was going to have these weekend days in MY own 21 Days

be like whoa packed with well-refilling action.

Life has other wise and wonderful plans,

in this case they came in the form of my In-Loves arriving to take care of me and Orion a day earlier than their already-scheduled trip.

Moving their lives to accommodate this illness, the very definition of generosity and love.

I have spent the last few days doing very little other than reading

and meditating and getting cozy with moments that have been simultaneously thoughtful and spacious.

I have cuddled and breastfed Orion and then handed him over to the people who love him almost as much as I do while I healed (when was the last time I surrendered like this, good Lord?!)

and allowed breath to do its untangling work.

Talking with my Mama2 about life and work and mothering.

Teaching Orion how to go, "Ahhhhh!!!" after a sip of water, important things yes!

Today began the itch, the drawings for a design that will once again take my work to a new level of personal satisfaction and YES: wildness. 

For this weekend at least, the Creative Reset is rest. Tea. Poetry. 

Firing briefly in the kiln on wobbly but grateful legs.

Books of all kinds for all ages.

A hunger for food once again after four days of peas and toast.

Checking in on my own Mommy after her knee surgery.

Maybe a date tomorrow night?

We'll see: that sounds so far away.

Tonight the babe sighs in his sleep

the fridge burbles and hums

and I turn down the house and the sheets

to spoon my husband

and dream of big cats without fear.

Let's share our thoughts on Monday of how any/all of the Reset days have been thus far, 

shall we?!

xoxo,

Sunny

Creative Reset, Day Five: Shhhhh.

Whew.

I don't know about you, but I am beat.

The writing I did over the last few days gave me clarity, some bolstering and a few good Come-to-Jesus moments I needed.

Today's assignment is writing-optional.

Set a timer for fifteen minutes.

Light a few candles, sit cross-legged on the floor preferably on a cushion and close those beautiful eyes.

Concentrate on your breathing.

When thoughts come, see them as clouds in the sky, watching them pass and not following behind with any interest. Sometimes in the interest of staying focused on breath I count and see how many inbreaths and outbreaths I can get to before I 'think' - it's a disarmingly small number.

Toward the end of meditating I do something that always fills my life with magic, an intentional addition to my practice that I want to share with you in the hope that its spell weaves into your lives, too: we could all use some more good charms.

When I am very quiet and the space between thoughts has begun that gooood toffee-stretch, I picture my entire trunk filling up with a warm amber light

that is so loving and powerful it radiates out of my body and fills the room.

Too good be contained, it glows its way through walls and halls to fill the entire house

before it stretches on to meet the air

and the neighborhood.

For me it pulses like a heartbeat, slow and powerful and so much more than this body could contain.

Once I've reached the scope that the day and my breath will allow, I introduce a mantra into the golden peace of that space:

"I have enough"

"The world is an adventure"

etc.

Words of gratitude, wisdom you've gleaned from your writings, anything at all can be dropped into that place and augmented. 

After your alarm goes off (choose a soothing one, if you can..) feel free to write what you felt in your journal, to explore the immediate fruits of this practice.

Ideally this is something you do every day, looking forward to it like candy: I know I do (the candy part - the everyday part I am working on)

May you be blessed, my friends. Thank you for coming along this journey with me, even if it's just to read.

Good things are afoot here.

With Love,

Sunny

Creative Reset Day Three: Burn baby, burn!

Today's post was supposed to be something a little bit different,

but then I got this crazy wildfire flu and its gifts have been many:

rest

reading

journaling with abandon

allowing myself to be taken care of

falling into sleep like a child

fever dreams

and quite honestly, the fever has left in its wake (I mean it was great and all but I am glad it has mostly passed, that hotness) a really strong idea for today's work.

The purpose of a fever is to burn off invading bacterias and viruses affected by temperature change and the cause of the rise in temperature are chemicals in our blood called pyrogens. Pyrogens bind to receptors in our brain, signaling the body temperature to raise and rid the organism of its offending invaders.

Creatively, we have some bacteria and viruses that break into our symbiosis, too - they are the diseases of self-doubt and self-criticism.

Be aware, these are very different from discernment and patience, but they often masquerade as wise and noble to wiggle in to the daily doings and unspool the thread.

A few years back I did a post

as Munson, my own beloved inner critic who takes his job of humbling me very seriously.

When I was a musician during gigs I'd catch him at the back of the room in his cheap grey suit and thick black glasses, white hair neatly parted, clapping half-heartedly and muttering, "Mediocre" after every song.

His lip twitched at my lack of minor chords.

Now that I am a maker, I see him going over a finished piece with a practiced eye, 

finding every single possible flaw

while declaring what I could have done differently.

Needless to say, our styles are very different, Munson and I.

He thinks I need more symmetry, more eighties-style geometric shapes.

I think he often needs to go fuck himself.

Today's Journal Writing:

This is your inner critic's time to shine!!!

Pen a letter from the perspective of this helpful helper (they really mean well, honest)

and make sure they get it alllllll out there, all the 'shoulda's' and 'coulda's' and 'won'tya's'

Let them list all the things you're doing wrong and how you could be doing it differently

and why you should be very very afraid

or very very shy and retiring

and not at all proud or jubilant.

When they've said their peace, rip, tear or cut the page(s) from your journal

and place them in a fire-safe container.

Preferably outside or in the tub, take a lighter to the instructive letter from that concerned citizen and torch the happy shit out of it, perhaps shaking your money-maker as it burns.

You don't need their advice anymore, Baby.

Breathe.
Process the feelings of setting fire to what pains you.
Breathe.

Upon the page following the torn section, write one tender sentence about your artist self. Or two or ten - just make sure it's loving and gentle and supportive.

Loving you,

Sunny

Creative Reset Day Three: Ideal Day

Well I have been waylaid by the wildest flu to hit these parts since the late spring of '07.

Pardon my old west candence, I am writing through an impressive fever

and this is my only task for the day: I can do it.

If I've promised you pictures, pieces or anything else know that there is a delay and I am working hard to hydrate and get well but I cannot say how long this stuff will have its hooks in me:

I never touch my work when I am sick - bad juju.

Let's keep this short and sweet, then - today's assignment is a delicious one

and a welcome respite from the historic and emotional digging I know I resist (but is crazy necessary for creative healing).

The last few days were good for discovery around here with the writing, but I definitely came up against some of my prettier demons. This last year really changed my life and it took journaling to wake me up to the extent of the shifting plates. This is good timing for discovery.

Journal Writing:

If you had the ideal day, 24 halcyon hours please write them out getting as specific as possible

down to wall colors in your creative space

what you ate and drank

pets around you

what you made

who you saw

who contacted you for work

how far-reaching your creative tendrils had become 

(we don't all crave world domination)

where you were in the world

country or city

foreign or domestic

coffee or tea (or me)

what time you woke and retired

solitude

lovemaking

purchasing

gifting

.

Get as clear and clean a picture as you can of this world

and then

do one thing to move toward it

whether it's purchasing a paint sample

or picking out a special pen

taking extra time to cook

rising early

checking out apartments in an ideal city

.

Hop to it,

Sunny-under-blankets.

Creative Reset Day Two: Honesty

We move from the storied past to the present moment - greetings from here!

Today is for looking in the creative mirror and reporting on what we see -

what we actually see, not how we look from our good side

or hiding from that unfortunate tooth with a lopsided grin.

If we are honest with ourselves then there is someplace to actually begin

as opposed to the manic-doggy-paddle-dance we do when we're trying to keep up a charade.

Maybe right now you are feeling deeply at peace with your work, process and your rhythm,

blissed out for real

or maybe you feel a bit boxed in,

quite like tearing out your hair for frustration.

Heaven knows that the only way out of a place is through it:

we can only be where we really are, anything else is a waste of time and bows to our fear of outward perception. Therein lies one problem for those of us who make a living online, sharing bits and snippets of our inspiration and lives through our work and writings: how much to share, where to draw the line between engaging the interwebs and keeping nose to the grindstone in the effort to continue making art.

That my friends is as unique a balance for each person as their fingerprint.

.

Go and plant yourself in front of a mirror today.

See that familiar trustworthy face in all its glory and look deeply into your own eyes -

the core of where you stand is right there.

Perhaps there is a glint of playful sass

 a deep sadness that needs attention

or maybe you're tired as all hell and a nap is in order.

Be as honest as you can with mirror you

and if you/she cry a little that's ok, too: sometimes we forget to be gentle and kind to ourselves

and mirror-gazing can bring out our sense of warmth and compassion normally extended only to others.

When you go to your journal for today's writing

I hope you'll do the same plain assessment without any bravado or artifice.

Just being and writing the way it is.

I dream you'll plunk yourself right down into the now and name the thoughts and feelings 

as though they were the flora and fauna of a world you observe with a scientific eye

keen on discovery and is-ness.

There is no one to impress here, just ourselves.

Journal for the day:

How do you feel creatively right now?

Where do you stand in relation to your dreams?

Are your wishes and goals current or outmoded?

(this will be very useful for tomorrow's writing)

Simply, 

Sunny.

Day One, Creative Reset.

Here we are, my friends!!

The first day of twenty one intended to refill our cups to overflowing.

I thought I'd embark on this journey alone, shutting down the shops and the blog in order to get internal and quiet and then it hit me: if I can benefit from these choices, these writings and this extra diligence

shouldn't I make it available to my friends, too?

If my relationship with my Muse has become so jagged and rocky wouldn't it stand to reason that a kindred or two out there is struggling with the same things?

For me it's been a case of too much: too much inspiration, too many ideas, crazy-feeling-four-a.m.- wakeups thinking, "I've got to get in there now, this idea cannot wait!" followed by the resultant uber-exhaustion... and finally the cold or flu that gets me to pause from the roller-coaster.

Rinse and repeat, over and over for the better part of the past two years.

Then there is the fear that one can begin to ingest daily making a living from art or not...the input and output, the praise or silence or unkind cuts, the daily necessities for families and animals, the day-job, the lover-or-lack-thereof, the ego, the failures and triumphs and oh GOD where is our BREATH??? 

Where are we breathing in all of this madness?

Well

.

Here it is, underneath all of the shit-pile and victory trophies:

your breath.

Your bedrock.

This is the most important part of the next three weeks, and I want you to become super-aware of it. Your respiration is an excellent indicator of where you stand with your creative process.

In becoming nurturing and solicitous of it you'll discover a lot of truth - our bodies so rarely lie, even if we are so full of it our eyes are brown (thanks, Mom.)

I recommend that while you're doing The Reset you also look into meditation, taking a yoga class or two, getting a massage or other breath-oriented self-care. 

If money or time are issues meditation is an excellent place to start: 15 minutes once or twice per day will quite literally change your life, but I'll delve more into that at some point later in the posts.

For this first day, let's just breathe.

Take one breath in slowly, filling your belly, then your lungs to the tippy top.

Hold it for the count of four

and then let it out with a sigh.

Repeat.

Repeat.

Obviously you'll continue to breathe anyway, but my hope is that you bring this ease and lengthened rhythm to the process as much as possible in all hours of your daily awareness.

As you do this writing work, I want you to pay attention to your breath especially as it relates to your subject matter: make notes in your daily journal when you're jotting something that causes your breath to get shallow.

What was it? Can you delve into that space a little more?

If simply writing at all constricts you just be very very conscious and slow in your movements, keeping as much attention as you can on lengthening and deepening each inhalation and exhalation.

I want you to remember that you deserve this time to go deeper.

Write down the emotions that come with the shallow breath - are you afraid? Angry? Confused or feeling pressed for time?

Where do you feel the emotion?

Quite frequently my emotions register in very physical ways: if I am feeling threatened I feel it in my solar plexus. If I am sad I feel it very much at my heart. Fear is like a terrible ice that freezes my whole trunk and trickles into my limbs.

Where do you feel your sadness or anger or fear?

Journal for the day:

After taking a few deep cleansing breaths, think of your art. 

Contemplate the history (or desire for one) of your work, the story of your creative life thus far.

What emotions come up? 

Are you celebrating or sinking?

What is the quality of your breath as you reminisce?

Pinpoint (as much as you can) the physical sensation(s) that comes 

from this small journey

and the overall relationship you have with creating.

Write until you are finished.

Yours,

Sunny

Gearing Up

EDIT: WOW - I never thought I'd have more than ten women in the secret Facebook group, but here I am at 16, including me! I am going to cap the group at 22 (again including me) so if you want to join but haven't yet, hustle on over to the F.B, friend me and request to be added in!
I'll post again here if/when it fills up!

FULL

xo,
Sunny


Monday the 14th begins the 21 Day Creative Reset

I've created a secret Facebook group for the purpose of bouncing ideas, sharing supplies, techniques or stories: to join, be my friend and send me a message requesting that I add you to the Reset.

if you opt not to join the group, I'll be posting some things to Sunny Rising's page 

as well, so you'll have several ways to see what's afoot.

Every day of the 21 here on the blog will be accounted for, with five days of 'work' and two days of serious well-refillage on the weekends.

I am SO excited to share this with you and beyond thrilled to take this time for myself also, to really get gentle and nurture this heart and soul through what has been a great and life-rocking shift.

I recommend a new journal with unlined pages: it's so nice to be able to doodle when you're getting unstuck.

If you have any questions please feel free to ask!

xoxox,

Sunny

Wingspan Bag

There is so much to say about this and not a word I can write at this time... I'll save it for the Etsy description.

It turned out even more beautiful than I had hoped, and I had very high hopes for this one...

I want to tell you about the inspiration and the way it's been built, the many hours of hand-stitching and 

the careful cutting and tooling of each component

but I think the bag can sing for itself that it is filled with love

made with such good heart.

This vessel carries the necessities and then some but it's not meant to be a bottomless purse for endless stuff:

it has a simplicity to its spaces: it does not billow, it is lean and elegant.

a heart pocket on the outside is mirrored inside giving some extra storage 

and at your request I can put a key-keeper inside so you never have to fumble again!

A hidden magnetic clasp keeps this beauty closed

and the strap is long enough to be worn across the chest for security and a nice silhouette.

A little rock and roll, a little R&B, a lot of very chic warmth....

it's for the flying, this one.

HERE

.

xoxo,

Sunny

A Day with Orion

Monsieur Petite Etoile makes his film debut.

xoxo,

Mama